there is simply nothing worse than knowing how it ends
by BiPride76
Summary: "What's this?" He said pointing a finger at the bread and peanut butter that was laid across the table top. Five rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "What do you think. It's a sandwich." "Oh?" Klaus reached out a hand to brush the sleeve of his beloved hoodie. "And what's this?" or, the one where Klaus 'loses' a hoodie, Five gets a hug and Ben is proud.


Klaus was missing a hoodie.

Normally, he probably wouldn't even notice. He had a million other coats and sweaters that were much more stunning. But that hoodie was easily the most comfortable thing he had in his closet, and he was _really_ looking forward to wearing it to bed, maybe getting a good night's sleep for once.

He dug through his dresser again, hoping that maybe he just didn't see it the first time.

"Maybe you lost it?" Ben offered from his seat on Klaus' bed. His resident ghost brother wasn't really helping Klaus at all. He seemed to find it amusing because he just sat there smiling at Klaus' misfortune and trouble. (It wasn't like he could really help look for it, but he didn't have to watch Klaus look with such mirth in his eyes.)

"That doesn't make any sense." Klaus huffed. "To _lose_ it, I would've had to have _worn_ it recently."

"Maybe this is a sign." Ben said with a shrug. When Klaus didn't response because he was too invested in shifting through his sequened jackets, he continued. "Maybe you just have too many clothes."

Klaus paused and turned to glare at the ghost. "You can _never_ have too much clothing."

Ben just sighed and Klaus turned back to digging around.

Eventually, Klaus just decided that maybe it wasn't there. Maybe mom accidentally threw it out, or maybe it got messed up and Klaus just got rid of it. (although he's sure he would've remembered that.) Whatever the case may be, he couldn't find it now and all he could do was hope that it'd turn up soon.

And turn up it did. In the most unexpected place no doubt.

Klaus had decided to go down to the kitchen to get himself a little drink, with Ben trailing behind him blabbering on about how he shouldn't drink so late at night or something along those lines when he stopped himself short.

Five was in the kitchen making himself a sandwich.

Klaus paused for two reasons. For one, it was three in the morning. And speaking from personal experience, Klaus knew if you're making a sandwich at three in the morning you're probably not gonna eat it. (Unless you were high and had the munchies, but that's just a Klaus specific thing.)

And two, instead of the pyjamas Five usually wore to bed, his tiny body was practically drowning in a familiar black hoodie.

"_Hey_!" Ben exclaimed when he saw Five. "Isn't that-"

"Yeah..." Klaus muttered.

Five turned abruptly when he heard Klaus' voice and narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you doing just standing in the doorway?"

Klaus took that as a invitation to bounce into the kitchen and peek at Five's creation.

"What's this?" He said pointing a finger at the bread and peanut butter that was laid across the table top.

Five rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "What do you think. It's a sandwich."

"Oh?" Klaus reached out a hand to brush the sleeve of his beloved hoodie. "And what's _this_?"

At Klaus' touch the small boy tensed and his fingers tightened on the butter knife that he was using to spread peanut butter onto his bread.

"I took your hoodie and I'm not giving it back." He said through gritted teeth.

Klaus knew that his other siblings might be turned away by Five's tough exterior, but Klaus enjoyed it because at least Five took him seriously.

At least, more than Luther ever did.

"Something's wrong Klaus." Ben warned. He was perched on the counter, in front of Five, but at a far away enough distance that he wasn't on top of his sandwich supplies. "He doesn't look too good."

And Ben was right. He has deep bags under his eyes, his normally neat and combed hair was wild, as if he'd been running his hands through it and his voice had a tinge of exhaustion that made Klaus frown.

"Well, I _guess_ you could do that. But my fabulous hoodie is doing absolutely nothing to help your looks right now." Klaus said with a hint of a laugh in his voice. "Not to be rude or anything, but you look like you got hit by a truck. And not a nice truck."

Five frowned and paused in his sandwich making. "Would getting hit by a nice truck feel better than getting hit with any other truck?"

Klaus hummed. "Well, I suppose not, but-

Ben made a sound of disapproval. "He's deflecting."

"-but that doesn't matter right now, cause you're deflecting!" Klaus said quickly. He felt proud when Five sighed again.

"Nice." Ben said with an eyeroll.

"I'm fine Klaus." Five said. But there was something in his voice that gave Klaus pause.

There was a shakiness to it. A weird vulnerability that shouldn't be there. Which made Klaus nervous because Five didn't do vulnerable.

He hardly did _feelings_.

"Right." Klaus said. He lifted an eyebrow in skepticism. "You being fine must be why you're in the kitchen at three am making a sandwich that you're probably not gonna eat while dressed in _my_ fuzzy hoodie."

Five glared down at the table top, his hands curled tightly into the sleeves of the hoodie while Klaus just watched his brother, and hoped that he'd open up to him.

"I just-" Five stopped suddenly, biting down on his bottom lip as if to keep the words from spilling out of his mouth.

"Come on Five." Ben pleaded. "Talk to us."

As if Five could hear Ben's words, his shoulders dropped and he took a shaky breath. "I had to bury you. All of you. And sometimes-sometimes it's hard to remember that you're here. That you're breathing and alive and I just needed-"

He cut himself off with a choked sob.

And this time that Klaus reached out for his brother, he just allowed himself to be pulled into the hug.

"I'm sorry." He sniffled and Klaus was angry for a second.

How was it fair that Five had to face the end of the world at thirteen years old? That at thirteen, he had to survive not even knowing whether or not he would even get back?

At thirteen children should be going through puberty or doing their chores or ignoring their homework. They shouldn't be training to become superheroes or dealing with their abusive father and they _definitely_ shouldn't be surviving the apocalypse by themselves.

"Don't be." Klaus said softly. "You have absolutely no reason to apologize. Not to me, or anyone in this house okay?"

Five shuddered but nodded against Klaus' chest and even though Klaus felt like he was the last person on Earth that was ment to be comforting someone, he tightened his hold on the smaller man.

"You can borrow whatever clothing you need to, whenever you need to." He pulled away so he could look into Five's eyes. "And you don't have to say sorry for it."

Five let out a shuddering sigh of relief.

"Just don't take my skirts."

Five let out a watery chuckle and Ben shot Klaus a warm smile and that made up for the fact that Klaus wouldn't have his fuzzy hoodie anymore.


End file.
